This invention relates in general to bar clamps that comprise a frame having parallel rigid rails on which are mounted a fixed jaw and a screw-actuated movable jaw slidable on said rails to clamp between the jaws pieces of stock to be glued together for use, for example, in clamp carriers such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,653,035, 1,702,036 and 3,488,046.
For clamping so-called thick stock for example while gluing together or laminating into panels boards that are six inches wide and stand six inches high on the rails, the jaw of each clamp includes a rigid cast iron body mounted on the rails and having a face plate rockable thereon about a horizontal axis between its upper and lower edges to engage the stock and pivot or rock about said axis so as to distribute the clamping pressure practically evenly to the upper and lower edge portions of the board stock. Heretofore a single spring wire has served as said axis and has curved portions separably held by inherent resiliency in notches in the ends of the face plate and in notches in the end surfaces of the jaw body. This construction is not entirely satisfactory because especially when the clamp is not in use, the spring wire sometimes accidentally falls or is knocked out of said notches and the face plate is allowed to drop off the clamp body and thereby cause aggravation of the operator and loss of time in remounting the face plate on the clamp body.